Firewall
by w Blitz
Summary: Charlotte Devlin was a shy, timid, average girl. When she receives her letter from Hogwarts she is catapulted into a world where a war rages between good and evil. There will be humor, action-adventure, romance, and tragedy as a young girl blossoms to become who she was meant to be in defense of those she loves. Rating will change as they grow older. Marauder era.
1. Muggleborns

**Firewall**

_Inspired by Les Friction "Firewall."_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything; except for Charlotte- she's mine.

Chapter 1: Muggleborn

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><p>Charlotte was just your average girl. She was of average height, she had average brown hair, and average brown eyes- there wasn't a thing out of the norm about her. Oh, except for being magical. Yes- Charlotte was a witch.<p>

You can imagine her shock when an _owl_ delivered the letter from a place called Hogwarts. Her parents thought it was a joke; there wasn't anything special about Charlotte. She couldn't be magical. The young girl would be lying if she said her heart didn't sink just the slightest bit.

Just the thought of her being magical, being special and different- someone that people could look up to and admire- but never mind all that. Magic _wasn't _real. This was just someone playing a cruel joke on her. She was used to cruel jokes, she was used to being bullied. Charlotte made that easy by being so infuriatingly timid.

The temporary joy she felt when she received the letter had vanished by her parent's skeptical looks and the completely _ordinary_ gentle chiding of how magic didn't exist and she needed to stop deluding herself about such. She was _doomed_ to this life of complete normality.

Her parents tossed the letter into the garbage without even a second look. So, it was with a heavy heart Charlotte continued on with her mundane life during that summer. Secretly though, she daydreamed about this magical place called "Hogwarts."

What it must be like to be able to use magic and be anything but ordinary, just for once. She was irrevocably enthralled with the idea. Many days of that summer was spent with her staring at objects- willing them to move. Charlotte stole the letter back from the trash can, unable to get it out of her mind.

It said they would wait no later than the 31st of July for a response- by owl. How in God's name would she send an _owl?_ She contemplated the letter for days and much to her great dismay, the 31st was approaching quicker than she would have liked. Maybe, just maybe, they would send another magical being to save her from this bland existence of hers?

Since receiving that letter, it became all she could think of anymore as she invented scenarios in her mind that would save her from this life she so greatly detested. Food had little taste to her, the outside held no interest to her- all she wanted to do was attempt to use her supposed powers. The letter said she was a witch! Her parents were becoming increasingly concerned with her current obsession. They were talking about taking her to therapy! _Therapy?_ The nerve of them!

Couldn't they see how boring this life was? How did they manage going from day to day with nothing like magic? Magic was new, and exciting! Charlotte had enough of being regular and average. She wanted more, and this letter was her escape. It _had_ to be real. Maybe she would be good at it! She wanted to be so dearly.

Like everything else in her life, her grades in school were unfortunately mediocre. There was nothing that held her attention- nothing that she wanted to know so badly to strive to be excellent. She couldn't if she tried anyway. The only thing she had ever excelled at was reading.

For the longest time books had been the escape she dearly sought. Charlotte could temporarily remove herself from this banal existence and become more. She's traveled to Neverland, helped the Beast regain his true form, escaped her mundane existence with glass slippers; she's experienced the Greek God's wrath and fury and has been all over the world by just opening the cover of a book.

But now, with this extraordinary letter she had the chance for more. The chance to be something she's always wanted to be- to do something incredible _for real_. Charlotte sighed heavily. Today was the 31st of July- and no one would come to rescue her that day, Or the day after, or the day after that.

Charlotte bit back frustrated tears. She sat on her bed midday, the 3rd of August. Her small, pale hands clutched the letter furiously. _Why had no one come?_ She wanted to be free and now she knew she was forever doomed. The letter wasn't real. It had just been a cruel joke and all her parents were trying to do was protect her from the heartbreak she felt now.

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she swiped them away angrily. Stupid letter, stupid magic, _stupid her;_ who was she kidding? She was simple- she would never be more, never could be more. Charlotte felt rage. Rage at being tricked and hurt one too many times. Her body grew hot with the fire that rolled in her veins and her heart.

Her vision was blurred with steaming tears and she saw a billow of smoke wafting from the magical letter. And just like that it burst into flames. Charlotte leapt back with a shriek of surprise. Her back collided with her wall as the paper crumpled and burned on her bedroom floor.

She rushed forward and began stamping it out, but the damage had been done. The letter was mere ash and her floor was scarred. Her mind whirled in wonderment and her eyes widened.

Charlotte _had_ set the paper alight. She did that! The young girl nearly screamed with joy as she hopped around. She _was _magic! She wasn't ordinary, she was special- she was _someone_. Charlotte felt a faint buzzing in her body- one that she didn't recognize. _It was magic. _

Her joy was cut short when her mother shouted. "Is that smoke I smell? Charlotte, what is going on up there?"

Charlotte's face soured. "Nothing, mother."

A tapping interrupted the young girl. To her astonishment, an owl sat on her windowsill with a letter attached. She rushed forward and wrenched the panes open. The owl flew in and she quickly detached the scroll from its leg. It nipped her hand and she gasped in pain.

A droplet of blood sprung forth on her finger. _At least I know this is real._ The owl flew from the house before she could call it back. How was she supposed to respond if she didn't have a bloody owl? Her face crumpled into a scowl as she looked at the letter. She remembered the Hogwarts seal and nearly jumped for joy at seeing it again.

Charlotte tore the letter open hastily. She had received the same letter as before. The little girl ran from her bedroom, she faintly heard her mother shouting to stop stomping as she sprinted down the staircase. "Mom, Dad! Look! An owl brought me this!"

They looked up from their seats on the couch with brows pinched. She waved the letter with excitement, "See it's real! I told you!" Her dad took the letter in his hands gently. He shook his head sadly. "Char, I'm sorry. But this has got to be a joke. There is _no_ such thing as magic."

Charlotte felt that familiar drop in the pit of her stomach. She clenched her fists. "No! It is real! I can prove it!"

She snatched the letter from her father's hand. Her mother started warningly, "Charlotte, don't use that tone of voice with us." The young girl ignored her mother's scolding.

"I can make fire! Watch, I just did it upstairs. By accident of course, but it happened!"

She began staring at the letter with clenched hands. Moments of silence passed and nothing happened. Her brow creased in confusion. "I don't understand…I just did it upstairs, I was angry and it just burst into flames!"

Her mom stood abruptly, "That is it, young lady! We have had enough with these delusional thoughts of magic. You are going to see a therapist right now."

Charlotte felt tears begin burning under her closed eyelids. When she opened them, all she could see were her father's concerned stare and her mother dialing God-knows-who on the telephone. That familiar panic began to set in again. She heard her mother greet another over the phone and she sobbed. Was she crazy? Delusional, as her mother said?

Charlotte felt her father's hand rub her back comfortingly. He whispered, "I know. It's okay; magic would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? There's nothing wrong with talking to a therapist about it. He'll be able to help you sort your feelings out."

Another sob wracked the eleven year olds body. "I don't want to sort it out. I want to be special."

Her dad pursed his lips. "You'll always be special-"

His words were cut short when there was a heavy knock at the door. Charlotte's head shot up as she stared down the entryway where her father strode. He opened the door with a confused expression, "Hello, can I help you?"

A strange, older man with the longest beard she had ever seen stood in the doorway. She could see the kindness etched in his skin from his years of life and the gentle twinkle in his eyes behind half-moon gold spectacles. He started, "Hello. Lovely home you have here."

Charlotte was stunned as the older gentleman strode into the house. Her father's face scowled. "Hey! I didn't say you could come in!"

The bearded man chuckled kindly. "Sorry, where are my manners. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I believe you've received a couple of my letters?"

Charlotte stood suddenly, her father's mouth was agape and she could hear the phone drop from her mother's hands. They stared at the man, disbelieving what they had just heard. Dumbledore smiled with a sense of understanding. "I can't even imagine the difficulty of understanding what I've just told you. Your daughter is witch. She needs to attend school so that her powers can develop properly. Without education, I'm afraid there would be consequences."

Before her parents could speak, Charlotte began meekly. "It's true then. I'm a witch."

Dumbledore turned to her with a knowing smile. "You are, my dear. You are anything but ordinary."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All her dreams- they were finally coming true! Her father's fists were clenched suddenly. "I don't appreciate you filling my daughter's head with these-these- fantasies."

Dumbledore turned slightly, his eyebrows raised as Charlotte's mother reached her husband's side.

"Oh, these are anything but fantasies."

"Prove it." Her mother said tautly. Charlotte's father jerked suddenly in surprise, he mumbled. "Angie." She looked at him with eyes that were alight with something else- perhaps hopes for something more for her daughter.

Dumbledore smiled gently. "Very well." He pulled a wand from his strange robe-like clothing and with a gentle flick- suddenly the fireplace was roaring with fire and heat.

Her parent's chests heaved in astonishment as the bearded man flicked his wand again and suddenly the dishes were dancing and cleaning themselves in the kitchen. Charlotte gasped with joy; she clapped her hands with excitement. The man gave her a tender smile at the child-like enthusiasm.

Her father started slowly. "You mean to tell me- that our daughter will be able to do things like that?"

Dumbledore smiled again. "Oh, I believe she's already started. Isn't that right, Charlotte?"

Her parents looked to her. Their eyes were wide. Angie- her mother gripped her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you." Charlotte buried her face in her mothers shoulder. "It's okay, mum. I didn't believe myself either."

Her mother laughed between her tears. Her father was smiling at her gently, his taut and defensive demeanor now gone, as if it were never there. Dumbledore clapped his hands together jovially. "I will be escorting you all to Diagon Alley to purchase the necessary items for her first year at Hogwarts."

And with that they were off on a magical adventure. Charlotte could have squealed with excitement, she wanted to jump for joy, and on more than a couple occasions she would pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

The man- who was Professor Dumbledore instructed them to grab on tight to this torn up shoe. Charlotte didn't hesitate and swiftly grabbed the item, while her parents sent each other unsure looks. Charlotte cried out enthusiastically, "Mom! Dad! You're going to miss the ride!"

With pursed lips they reluctantly latched onto the shoe and they were suddenly whirling up and up into the air. Her parents yelled with fright and Charlotte laughed in sheer bliss. _What an adventure._ The next thing the eleven-year old knew- she was standing in a bustling street. Shops lined up and down, her eyes wide as she took in all the sights, the wands, the robes, and _broomsticks! _She frantically tugged on Dumbledore's robes, "Do those fly?" The older man chuckled. "Yes, they do. But, you won't be able to until your next school year."

Henry- her father and Angie sidled up beside Charlotte. They brushed themselves off, "Exactly how long is this school?"

Dumbledore began explaining the school years and curriculum to her parents as she excitedly ducked and weaved in between people. She would point excitedly at one shop and the next as her parents nodded and smiled alongside her eagerness. Dumbledore stopped them outside of a shop called 'Ollivander's.'

"First you'll need a wand. Let's hurry inside so the wait won't be long."

Charlotte didn't need anymore encouraging as she rushed inside the building. The young girl inhaled deeply. She could smell all sorts of different types of wood and other things she couldn't quite describe. They were after all, not a part of her world she remembered fondly. She was in an all-new world.

An older man stepped down from a rolling ladder, similar to those in libraries. He had a kind smile on his face as he recognized the child-like excitement of someone who's never experienced anything quite like this. "Hello!" He greeted jovially. "Here for your first wand, eh Lassie?"

Charlotte nodded eagerly. "Yes, Sir!"

Mr. Ollivander walked quickly up and down the aisles of the wand shop. Her parents peered around Dumbledore with interest as Charlotte could barely hold still. She was just too excited. Her first wand! The nice man she knew as Mr. Ollivander returned. His arms were full with several boxes.

He set them down gently and picked one up, he opened it gently and pulled a wand from it. He smiled as he set it in her quivering hands gently. "This here is a Vine wand, unicorn hair, and 9 ¼ inches. Give it a go."

Charlotte was dumb founded as she stared at it. Her large eyes looked up at the man as he smiled down at her warmly. "I-I uh, I don't know what to do with it."

"Give it a flick! It doesn't take much, sweetie."

Her brows pinched together in concentration as she gave it a flick in the air. Nothing happened. Her face deepened with a confused frown. She tried once more and nothing happened again. Charlotte, slightly disheartened handed it back to Mr. Ollivander.

He smiled and gently placed it back within the box. "Don't worry, my dear. We'll find you a suitable wand. The wand chooses its master, so don't be too let down if they don't work for you."

Her face brightened with the encouragement as he handed her another wand. "English oak with a core of dragon heart string- 10 inches." Charlotte wasn't sure exactly what he was talking about. _Was there actually a dragon heartstring within this wand? _

She gave the wand a gentle flick and suddenly there was a loud bang. She was flung back into her father who gave a grunt of pain from the contact. Charlotte stood with bewilderment etched in her features. Ollivander cringed as he took the wand carefully from her. "That wand definitely doesn't like you."

Charlotte looked at her father as he was bent over at the waist. He looked as if he was about to wretch and her mother was consoling him gently, an amused glint in her eyes as she winked at her little girl.

Mr. Ollivander spoke again. "Okay, this one is made of yew, with a strand of thestral tail hair, it is a 12 ¾ inches. Here give it a go."

Charlotte was slightly worried this time around. She preferred not being thrown back by accidental explosions, bolstering her courage she gave it a quick flick in the air. At first- nothing she could see happened but then the parchments littering the shop began to lift and swirl around.

Her breath was forced from her body as she felt heat rushing through her, the wand seemed to glow in her hands and she felt an indescribable sort of bond with it. She gasped as the light began to dim. Her golden-flecked eyes shot up. Mr. Ollivander beamed down at her. "Told you we would find you a wand, lassie."

"It chose me." She murmured quietly and fingered the light-colored wood gently. She was amazed and enthralled. The smile on her face broadened and she whipped around to Professor Dumbledore and her parents. She gave a jump for joy and spoke louder, "It chose me!"

Charlotte hugged Dumbledore as tightly as she could and she could feel the rumble of a chuckle in his chest. He patted her shoulder with a beaming expression. Her parents smiled at the happiness etched in their daughter's face.

They were soon leaving the shop and Charlotte had insisted on carrying her wonderful wand. It was hers and she would never let it go. She all but skipped through the market place as Dumbledore led them around. They picked up her books and a cauldron for potions, _a cauldron!_ She now had a school uniform that were robes similar to Professor Dumbledore's. She noticed a blank patch on the front of it and ran her hand over it curiously.

"Professor, what will go here?" She asked inquisitively. Her eyes looked up to the tall man at her side. "Your house patch will go there."

"My house?"

"Yes, when you arrive at Hogwarts, you and all the other first years will be sorted into four different houses. Where you belong depends entirely on your personality and who you are."

Charlotte gave him an astounded look. "I don't even know who I am, though! How could I possibly be sorted to where I belong?"

A deep laugh rumbled from the bearded man as her father wrapped his arm around her shoulder fondly.

Dumbledore smiled. His eyes were twinkling now more than ever with a certain mystery to them. "That is where magic comes in."

Her eyes widened at the wonder that was magic. _Was there anything it couldn't do?_

Charlotte gave a happy grin. She was silent once more as they walked. Her mother spoke suddenly, "Is there anyway we could return to…uh..Grangotts? That's what it was called, right? The bank with the short men?"

Dumbledore smiled appreciatively. "Gringotts. Those short men are called Goblins. That'll be our final stop before I return you to your home."

Charlotte's hand swung with her mothers happily as she skipped along. "Isn't this wonderful, mother? It's just like my books, isn't it?"

Her mother laughed with a joyful smile. "Yes it is. You have a whole new world to discover now! You must write your father and I about everything that happens!"

Charlotte stopped short. "But-I would need an owl to do that." Her father gave her a mysterious grin. "That's why we're going back to the bank. You'll be buying your own owl so that you can write us whenever you can- but! Remember school work comes first."

The young girl nearly squealed in happiness. "Oh, thank you mom and dad! My own owl! And of course! I promise, I'll be the best witch ever!"

Their happiness was suddenly cut short by an abrasive snort. "You? You're just a filthy mudblood. You'll never amount to much." Charlotte whirled around to see a large woman. She was tall, wide, and had a permanent scowl etched in her judgmental beady eyes. Charlotte didn't fail to notice Dumbledore stiffen beside her.

He smiled nonetheless and inclined his head politely. "Walburga." The women shot him a haughty glare. "Albus." The woman snapped her fingers at a young boy at her side. His hair fell around his steel colored eyes and his face held an air of superiority to her. She recoiled from the glare in his face and suddenly it seemed to soften- as if he was unsure of himself.

Quickly as the emotion flashed it was gone. "Sirius, come along now. We don't need you being exposed to that disgusting piece of flesh."

Her father snarled in anger. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

Walburga whipped around. The rage on her face was prominently apparent, she growled. "Who do you think you're talking to, muggle?"

Her father's face deepened with a scowl. "Muggle? Is that what you call us non-magical folk? Who are you to talk down to us?"

The woman's voice became shrill. "I am of House Black, mind you. We are of the oldest and noble purebloods left, no thanks to your _mudbloods._" She gestured with obvious disdain for Charlotte.

"Listen here you pompous bitch-" "Henry!" Her mother cut in. Suddenly a wand was pressed against her father's throat and Albus stepped between the two. His eyes were darkened with a certain fury that was unrecognizable. Charlotte's eyes were wide; she had no idea what was going on. _Mudblood? Muggles? Purebloods? _Her shocked expression connected with snobbish boy she now knew as Sirius.

She was even more surprised by the grimace of humiliation that was etched on his features. He struggled and visibly swallowed the emotion to replace it with that haughty glare Charlotte came to understand was the face of the 'House of Black.'

Dumbledore and Walburga argued before she stomped away from the scene she had caused. Charlotte sidled up beside her father and took his hand in hers with a grimacing smile. The anger seemed to fade away quickly. How she wished she could be as brave as her father was- it didn't seem like he feared anything at all.

And just then she realized how lucky she had been with the life she had before all of this. She had two incredible, caring parents that only wanted the best for her. Charlotte felt an immense gratitude seep into her bones as she hugged them tightly. "I love you mom, dad." She mumbled into his coat.

She felt them grip her in a tight hug in return. Her father stooped to his level with a tender smile. "Ignore that woman, Char. She doesn't mean anything; her heart is just filled with hate for things she doesn't understand. You are beautiful, and wonderful, and you are going to be great. Don't let them get you down and don't let them bully you. Okay?"

Charlotte felt tears bubbling behind her eyelids and she nodded her head furiously and gripped him in another hug. Her mother murmured into her hair. "Always stand up for what is right, Char. You understand. Don't let anyone sway what you _know_ is right."

Charlotte pulled back with a frown on her face. "What are you guys talking about? What's going to happen?"

They looked expectantly at Dumbledore. His face was taut with an expression she didn't quite understand. "There is a war in the wizarding world, Charlotte. One that I couldn't possibly explain to you if I tried- the war is against people such as yourself; people who are born from non-magical people with magical powers. You are not alone, and I will protect you, always. I must warn you; there will be students at Hogwarts who believe you don't belong there. It may be difficult for you, but you must never let them take control of you. Do you understand me?

Charlotte felt her heart being compressed as she took in the information. She nodded her head numbly. What was happening to her now was basically: she jumping out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. At least in the world she lived now, she was just bullied for being quiet and average. Now her life was in danger because she wasn't just average. Funny how she got what she always wanted and it wasn't quite that.

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><p><strong>So here's the first chapter. FanFiction is being a complete asshole with me uploading anything over 4k words. The original chapter was around 7k words so I'll post that immediately afterwards. I'm incredibly annoyed right now as it has been a couple months that I haven't been able to post anything. I'll try and limit my chapters to 3k-4k words from now on. :| So! Hope y'all enjoyed this, the sorting and train ride and introduction of other characters will be next. See ya then;)<strong>

**-wBlitz**


	2. Very Merry Sorting

**Firewall**

Disclaimer: JKR owns all.

Chapter 2: Very Merry Sorting

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><p>Charlotte stared at the brick wall before her and her cart with her wonderful red barn owl whom she named Phoenix. She shot a glance back at her parents in befuddlement. "Are you sure this is the place?"<p>

Her mother nodded her head with a strange look. "Yes, dear. Professor Dumbledore said here. He said there's a magical barrier and that you need to go through it."

Charlotte stared, "So I just walk through it?"

Her parents shrugged in just as much confusion as she. Charlotte braced herself as she strode towards the barrier, her parents following behind her carefully. _Just believe. Just believe._ She chanted to herself quietly. Her eyes closed tight as she felt a bone chilling sheen wash over her body.

She opened her eyes hesitantly to be faced with the beautiful sight of the Hogwarts Express. Charlotte grinned excitedly at her parent's pale faces while their eyes darted around. The platform was bustling with activity of many teary-eyed parents and joyful children bounding towards the express.

A voice filled with humor suddenly spoke behind them. "First timers?" Her father turned cautiously to be met with a man similar in age. His hair was jet black and messy as could be. He had dark colored eyes that seemed to exude kindness her family wasn't used to at this point. Beside him stood a golden haired woman, with glimmering blue eyes as she smiled kindly at the trio.

Her father smiled politely and extended his hand, "Yeah, never experienced anything like this before. Henry, and this is my wife Angie, and my daughter Charlotte." The man accepted the embrace with a widening grin. "It can be a bit much to take in! I can't even begin to understand what it must be like for muggles to be introduced to all this. Name's John Potter. This is my wife, Georgia, and my son James."

He slung a lazy arm around a young boy that was nearly a carbon copy of his father. He gave her a wide grin behind thin-rimmed glasses and shook Charlotte's hand. "Excited as I am? I thought this day would never come!"

Georgia scolded him with a gentle smile on her kind features. "Now James, don't go wishing your life away like that. It'll go by faster than you think."

James grimaced, "Yes, Mum." Angie chuckled with a deep smile etched into her face. John took a glance at the clock. "You two should be going soon, don't want to miss the train on your first year!" Georgia added warningly, "or ever. James."

"Muuum."

"Don't Mum me, now have a good year and _be good._"

Charlotte smiled at her parents tearfully. She would miss them terribly and they returned the look with understanding. Her father knelt down to her level. "Remember what your mother and I told you back at Diagonal Alley?"

Charlotte laughed, "Diagon Alley, Dad."

Her father frowned, "Right. Diagon. We'll get the hang of this eventually, we promise." He ruffled her hair fondly as she embraced them. "I love you."

Angie sniffled and wiped the tears from her face quickly. "We will too, dear. Remember to write us as often as you can! We want to hear all about it."

James grasped her hand and tugged her along. She waved back at her parents once more before boarding the train. The young boy at her side smiled kindly. "Don't worry, it'll get easier, I promise."

She stared at him peculiarly. "How do you know?"

James laughed happily, "Because this is going to be the best year ever, of course! We're going to have so much fun!"

"We're?" Charlotte asked shyly.

"Well of course! We're friends, right?"

Charlotte felt an unexplainable joy fill her heart as she looked up at him. _Friends._ "Yes!" She gasped with excitement. He smiled down at her warming her to her bones as they traveled down the aisle way. He slid a compartment open and Charlotte peered in cautiously.

In the corner sat a lone boy. He was ungodly pale and had deep scars across his face. His mussed brown hair covered his eyes as he stared out the window. Charlotte, with her new found friend walked in. The young boy jerked in surprise. His eyes found hers and James'.

A shy mixture of a grimace and smile crossed his face. Charlotte extended a hand timidly, "Hi. I'm Charlotte. You can call me Char, though. This is James. What's your name?"

"Remus." The boy's grasp was surprisingly strong, but it was clammy and nervous. Charlotte sat across from him as he fumbled uncomfortably with their presence. Extending the same kindness James had given to her, she smiled broadly. "Looks like you could use a friend."

"Or two." James said brightly and sat beside the boy. Remus' eyes seemed to brighten slightly and he relaxed in his seat. The comfortable air was interrupted when the compartment slid open again- there stood a boy with dark hair and steel colored eyes. The one she had met in Diagon Alley only a month ago.

Charlotte stiffened visibly as she scooted away from him when he sat down. He shot her a glare. "What are you looking at?" His voice was aggressive and it shamed Charlotte to say she was frightened of him. She knew of his blood status now, and that his lot didn't approve of people like her.

Charlotte remembered her father's words to not let anyone push her around, they couldn't see any weakness in her or they would take advantage of it. She stumbled over her words and finally mumbled, "N-nothing much, obviously."

She felt her face heat up in a horrible blush of humiliation. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ She couldn't have at least sounded confident? He stared at her as humor flicked through his eyes and James burst out laughing. Charlotte shot him a confused glare and he quieted down upon the look, though still smiled.

"Ah, come off it, Char. That was bloody brilliant!"

A tiny smile perked through her glum features. Remus sent her a knowing smile, but remained quiet. He was unsure of the new boy and was rightfully rigid around him. Sirius snorted. "Yeah, if you could call blubbering like an idiot brilliant."

Charlotte felt her face grow hot as she shot him another embarrassed glare. Her face frowning as her hands twisted in her lap uncomfortably. James rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, Black."

Sirius looked at him peculiarly. A small smirk upturned the corner of his lips. "You're a Potter."

"Sure am. Bet your mummy and daddy wouldn't be too happy of you associating with our lot, eh?"

Suddenly, Sirius' face contorted in a snarl but he said nothing more. He slouched in his seat with his arms crossed haughtily. Charlotte's eyebrows raised in curiosity at the action. He seemed suddenly ashamed of being associated with his parents. _Perhaps he was different._

Charlotte remained unsure, but relaxed slightly around him. She decided to break the silence and spoke, albeit timidly. "So, do you guys know what houses you're going to be sorted into?"

James pounded his chest proudly. "Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave at heart!"

Remus shrugged, "Maybe Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. I'd hardly consider myself someone that is brave."

Sirius said nothing and just stared, almost jealously at the duo. James sneered, "Slytherin for you, Black? Isn't that where all Black's are sorted?"

The young boy glared at him angrily. "I'll be sorted wherever I'm supposed to go."

James' eyes flickered with interest and he backed off Sirius instantly. Charlotte watched the exchange curiously. "What's wrong with Slytherin?"

James looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"No, I am." The dark-haired boy grinned quietly. James burst out in jovial laughter, and even Remus joined in. Charlotte cocked her head to the side in bemusement before she understood the joke.

Sirius' brow was lifted with a smirk across his face towards Charlotte. "Wow, I guess Ravenclaw isn't for you."

The brown-haired girl frowned deeply. "I don't even know what all these houses mean."

Remus smiled kindly. "Neither did I, I was just filled in on them. Gryffindor is for those who are brave-" James pounded his chest again proudly. "Ravenclaw is wit and wisdom, Hufflepuff are for those that are hardworking and loyal, and well Slytherin- it's supposed to be for those who are cunning and ambitious, but-"

James cut him off with a dark look. "Now it's for those obsessed with blood purity and purging the muggle-borns."

Sirius huffed and slid in his seat a bit. As if to hide from the rest of the group; Charlotte frowned in response. "Well, I guess I'll be Hufflepuff then. Since, you so kindly informed me that Ravenclaw was out of the question." She gestured towards Sirius.

She could see his steely eyes alight with some sort of friendliness and he _almost_ shot her a smile.

They were interrupted by a sharp yelp. James and Sirius were on their feet and leapt out of the compartment. Charlotte followed them cautiously, she stepped between the two boys to see a stout boy sprinting down the aisle way.

Two older boys who held the meanest grins on their faces she had ever witnessed pursued him. James snarled angrily, "Hey! Leave him alone!" Charlotte shot him a startled look. _Getting involved didn't seem to be the best course of action here._

James was her friend, however. She most certainly couldn't leave him to face the other two alone. She bolstered her courage and pushed past a motionless Sirius. She yanked her wand out and nervously held it at her side beside James.

He gave no notice, but stared in fury at the two who stopped short of them. The stout, plump boy with watery eyes moved behind Charlotte fearfully. She cast a glance back and saw Sirius leaning against the wall with his arms crossed casually. He lifted his eyebrows as her eyes connected with his.

Charlotte blushed furiously before facing the group of boys ahead of them. They sneered, "Oh, this is cute. The blood-traitor and the mud-blood come to play?"

James growled, "Don't call her that."

Charlotte felt a surge of warmth through out her body as she shot an appreciative glance at James. She no longer doubted herself in backing him up in whatever way she could. He was her friend. And she would never be able to look at herself in the mirror again if she didn't do what she thought was right, and by God standing beside James in protection of those who couldn't protect themselves never felt more right.

One of the boys smiled evilly. His long pearly-colored hair shifted as he gave a jerking nod to his friend. The next thing she knew her beloved wand was wrenched from her grasp and was flying through the air. Charlotte yelped and stumbled forward to recapture it.

The hands of the boy in front of her snatched it out of the air. He smirked at her evilly before she heard an awful snap and watched the wand fall to the floor in two pieces. Tears blurred her eyes instantly. James gave a loud shout and leapt forward before being blasted back.

He hit the ground with a loud groan and Charlotte picked up her once, wonderful wand. She looked up at the boys angrily. "Why did you do that?" She exclaimed.

The blonde boy sneered. "Let that serve as a lesson to you, mud-blood. Stay out of our way." The two turned their backs and walked away without a further glance. Charlotte felt white-hot rage roar through her veins. "Oi! I am not done with you yet!"

They turned slowly as she rushed forward, her fist slamming into the face of the black-haired boy who had broken her wand. He yelped in pain as blood smattered across his pale face. The other grabbed her wrist and forced her backward against the wall, she cried out in pain as her back slammed against it.

She hadn't a chance to open her eyes when she saw James tackling him to the ground. They rolled across the ground like angry crocodiles. The other boy, whom she had just hit, snarled and advanced towards her furiously. "You stupid bitch."

Charlotte felt her come down from the intense moment of anger and began backing up quickly. He grabbed her hair and jerked her towards him- she flailed uselessly and struggled against his hold until she felt a resounding clap against the soft flesh of her face.

Charlotte felt tears welling up in her eyes once more. Suddenly, the boy was being drug away by an enraged Remus and Sirius. Sirius snarled angrily. "You'd hit a girl, Rosier? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" He grabbed the boy by the collar and punched him squarely in the jaw, Rosier collapsed to the ground groaning in pain. Remus was in the process of yanking the blonde boy away from James.

The blonde helped Rosier up with a scornful expression of contempt. He growled furiously. "So, what? You've sided with the blood traitors and mud-bloods now, Black?"

Sirius shrugged as he stared at the pair with a lack of expression. He exuded confidence. "They aren't as bad as my dear mum made them out to be, Malfoy. You're just angry that a 'blood-traitor' beat you up." His voice was snide and he smirked at the pair's glare. Malfoy rubbed the swelling bruise over his cheekbone and bloodied lip.

Charlotte held the side of her face absentmindedly as the boys she now knew as Malfoy and Rosier sauntered away. Malfoy calling over his shoulder, "Better watch out mud-blood, you're friends won't always be there to save you."

She felt the threat reverberate in her bones. _Crap._ She had really done it this time. James and Remus stood in front of her staring at her curiously. "Did he hit you hard?"

Charlotte stepped away, "No, I'm fine." She suddenly moaned as her eyes caught sight of her broken wand. "Oh, no." Her voice murmured softly. She fingered the two pieces silently. Remus patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore can fix it, don't worry. We're almost there anyway."

The brown-haired girl nodded quietly. She pulled her hair back behind her ears and sat down back in their compartment. The short boy they had saved earlier fidgeted nervously. Charlotte swallowed her current misery over her wand and smiled at him. "You can sit here if you like."

He nodded his head and murmured a very quiet thank you. The thank you hit her like a ton of bricks as she scolded herself for being so rude. She turned to Sirius and smiled at him as brightly as she could. "Thank you for what you did." He grumbled incoherently with a nonchalant shrug. James beamed happily behind his black eye and cut lip.

"Maybe, we'll just make a Gryffindor out of you yet, friend."

* * *

><p>"Sirius Black!" Professor McGonagall's voice was sharp and void of friendliness. Charlotte nearly flinched, but had grown accustomed to the sound by now. She stood, gazing curiously as he sat down haughtily. His arms were crossed and Charlotte had come to understand that was his way of comforting his blatant discomfort.<p>

The hat spoke loudly through out the hall. "Hm, a Black; much hatred and contempt in you; Slytherin? No- that's where all the hatred comes from, eh? No you are very different from the others. Rebellious soul." The hat became silent and Charlotte could barely make out the creases that were lips mumbling to itself quietly. She strained her ears to hear before it shouted, making her jump in shock.

"Gryffindor!"

This time around there was a tense pause between the joyful clapping and shouting. The great hall was silent before Gryffindor exploded in cheers. She shot a glance over to the table shrouded with the green banner. They were whispering furiously amongst themselves and glaring quite evilly at the Gryffindor table.

Charlotte didn't understand. How could someone's blood be that big of a deal? Weren't they all just people? She jerked in surprise at McGonagall's loud voice sounding through out the hall. "Charlotte Devlin!" She froze as the group of first years looked around curiously. She felt Remus gently nudge her forward. She stepped timidly towards the stool with the hat.

She flushed red as she felt the hall's eyes boring into her back. She quickly sat down, forgetting entirely about the hat- when it's muffled shout jerked her back violently. The hall erupted into laughter, and her face was near boiling now in humiliation. McGonagall gave her a stern look as she sat down again, on the now hat-free stool.

The hat mumbled quietly at first. "Hmm. Muggle-born. Strong heart, you see what is right from wrong very clearly. Shy, and timid, I can see that flicker of fire in your soul- you can't hide it forever. Hufflepuff? You are loyal, but that just doesn't fit. Ravenclaw? Clear your mind child, you're making this more difficult than it needs to be."

Charlotte had no clue what he meant in 'clearing her mind.' How does one do that? She felt irritation bubble beneath her surface as she fingered the broken wand in her pocket. The hat suddenly laughed jovially. "Ah, there you are. You know what I see? I see courage, and such determination. Yes, I know where you'll go. GRYFFINDOR!"

The young girl let out a sigh of relief as she leapt down from the stool. Charlotte beamed as she rushed over to her new house. They clapped and cheered for her happily, some smacked her on the back and others shook their hands and introduced themselves.

Charlotte took a seat at the end of the table, across from Sirius. He quirked an eyebrow in her direction and she grinned brightly. Her voice whispered across the table as the hat began studying another student. "I knew you weren't like them!" His face soured and growled in her direction. "What makes you think we're friends, Devlin?"

Charlotte sat in shock. She was taken aback by the sudden coolness in his voice and harshness of his words. They sunk into her body and a frown flitted across her face. Sirius looked as if he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but he made no apology. He slouched in his seat suddenly and began picking at his food in discomfort.

Charlotte pursed her lips and ignored him. _Fine, if you want to be like that, I don't want to be your friend either._

* * *

><p><strong>Here is the second part to chapter 1, now called chapter 2. I've gotta change all my chapter titles since I hadn't been able to upload for a really long time I just went ahead and wrote quite a bit ahead in the story. From here on out, I'll probably post a chapter a week, or earlier as I have time. Please excuse any grammatical errors, I can spell no problem, but grammar isn't my strong suit. Feel free to point any discrepancies in reviews so that I may fix them. Hope y'all enjoy:)<strong>

**-wBlitz **


	3. Arrogant Berks

**Firewall**

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all. Except Charlotte, she's my little creation.

Chapter 3: Arrogant Berks

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><p>"Wingardium LeviOsa"<p>

To Charlotte's extreme delight, the little feather on her desk began lifting in the air higher and higher. A small smile contorted her lips as her brows furrowed in concentration. It fell slowly back to her desk and she beamed at her newfound friend, Lily.

Lily Evans was a beautiful girl- even at her age. She had fire-truck red hair and glimmering emerald colored eyes. Her lashes were long and her lips were full. She was also a muggle-born like Charlotte, and the two bonded instantly over this commonality between the pair. She gave the brown-haired girl beside her a large grin.

"Whoa! On you first try, that's great Char! I'm so jealous, mine just seemed to want to catch fire." Her face fell in a confused frown.

Charlotte giggled quietly, a blush heating her face. She nudged her friend. "Try drawing out the 'O' in the Leviosa. That might be your problem. Fire isn't a bad thing, when we start learning that you'll be way ahead the rest of us!"

Lily gave a loud, jovial laugh. She tried again and the feather effortlessly began floating through the air. Her smile was wide and full. "Well, look at that." Professor Flitwick gave the two girls thumbs up. "Well done, you two."

The joy of the moment was cut short by the raucous laughter of the four Gryffindor boys across the classroom. Peter was flushed red as the feather, unlike Lily's gentle flames, had exploded in his face. Smoke billowed and wafted whilst Sirius and James held their sides at the their plump-friends soot covered expression.

Lily snarled in irritation. "Oi! Don't you lot have something better to do than interrupt everyone's concentration?"

Remus shot a grimacing smile at the duo. Charlotte gave a small wave in nervousness as Sirius rolled his eyes. "Don't you have something better to do than get in everyone's business, Evans?"

"If I could concentrate, sure."

"Your lack of concentration has nothing to do with us, maybe you're just bad at Charms. Not everyone can be good as us, it's okay." Sirius smirked at Lily's reddening face.

Charlotte glared at the haughty boy. "How about you shut up, Black. You're no better than anyone else."

He gave her a cool stare. "I wasn't talking to _you,_ Devlin."

Charlotte felt her body heat up angrily when Lily laid a calm hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Char. Let's just ignore them."

The young girl mumbled under her breath. "Easy for you to say, you're the one that drew their attention. I wasn't going to let them insult you."

Lily gave her a wide smile. Her eyes glimmered happily. "You're a great friend, has anyone ever told you that?"

Charlotte gave her a small half smile in return. _No, no one has ever told me that._

* * *

><p>Marlene sat at the table in the great hall during lunch. Her feet tapped excitedly. "Is anyone as excited as I am for our flying lessons?" Charlotte glanced up with her mouth full. She nodded her head with a big smile fervidly.<p>

Marlene McKinnon was the tomboy of the group. She was beautifully lazy with her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and her loosened tie and carelessly tucked in shirt. Her eyes were pure gold and they glittered deviously. Charlotte knew at their age they shouldn't really care about their appearances- but she was too envious of the lack of effort Marlene had to put in to look the way she did.

Alice shook her head as if she was going to be sick. "I'm not looking forward to it." She paused and set her fork down turning a little green at the thought. "I don't understand why we couldn't have done it before we ate!" Her hazel eyes were wide. "I'm going to vomit everywhere!"

Lily nodded her in agreement. "I don't like the idea of sitting on a spindly stick with a mind of it's own."

"Agh!" Alice exclaimed shoving her face into her hands. Marlene observed her with mild amusement.

Alice Tener was a kind-hearted girl. She was gentle and had a fierce disagreement with heights. Her face was round and her blue eyes equally so. She had a button nose and dark-chocolate hair that fell in waves to her shoulders.

Marlene scoffed. "Don't be such _girls_."

Dorcas Meadowes snorted nearby. She had her pumpkin juice at her lips as the group of younger students turned quirked brows in her direction.

Dorcas was a year older than the rest of them. She was beautiful with long, braided wheat golden hair and piercing ice-colored eyes. Her lips puckered in a smirk. "You lot are blowing the 'flying' lessons out of proportion. Basically you'll mount your broom, lift off the ground- and that'll be it."

Marlene looked utterly annoyed. "That's it?" She exclaimed impatiently. Dorcas nodded her head. "You're just first years, they won't let you do much. It's why you can't even have a broom."

Lily gave a small scowl. "You were a first year not too long ago, Dorcas."

When the older girl was about to retort, Charlotte slapped the table gently. "Wellll! I think I'm going to head to the Quidditch pitch, you girls coming or what?"

Marlene leapt up without further encouragement and Alice and Lily, stood- grumbling amongst themselves. The two all but skipped to their next class. Their animated chattering could be heard up and down the corridors.

They were met with the striking amarillo-colored eyes of Madame Rolando Hooch. Her hair was a short, spiked jet black. Her stern facade was betrayed by the glimmer in her eyes at the two first-years excitement. Charlotte could make out the slightest tug of her lips into a smile before she barked for everyone to get beside a broomstick.

Obediently, the students filed in line. The class was a joint class between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Charlotte bit her lip as a torch of fear lit up in her chest. Avery and Mulciber were across from her and they gave her the nastiest of smirks. She glared in response refusing her fear to be shown to them.

Lily and Marlene stood on either side of her with a quiet nod of their heads. James gave a shout. "Oi! Avery, Mulciber. How about you keep your eyes to yourselves?"

Madame Hooch gave a sharp whistle. "There will be no fights this class. I don't care about house rivalries- if I hear so much as one argument between any of you, you will be escorted straight to the head master's office. Am I understood?"

The class mumbled in response. "Very well, lets get class started. First, you will need to place your hand firmly over your broom and command, 'Up'. Get started."

Marlene, of course, got it on her first try. Madame Hooch nodded her head. Lily and Alice fumbled with their brooms. Theirs rolled back and forth, much to their annoyances.

Charlotte struggled at first, her thoughts on the Slytherins in front of her. She swallowed her thoughts and finally commanded, "Up!" Her voice was firmer than it had ever been and her determination was prominent through her furrowed brows.

She looked up to see Sirius, James, and Remus holding their broomsticks and barely contained snickers as they stared at Thorfinn Rowle struggling with his. Madame Hooch assisted him impatiently. He finally held the broom in his hand with a flushed expression, he shot daggers at the snickering pair of Gryffindor boys.

"McKinnon, you'll go first. I want you to kick off the ground to get yourself in the air."

Marlene beamed with excitement. She mounted her broom and kicked off the ground. She lifted into the air gracefully and Charlotte couldn't help but feel jealousy rear it's ugly head at the confidence the young girl exuded. Madame Hooch nodded her head. "Very good. Mulciber, Avery! You're next."

They performed the same action and they too had very little difficulty. Black and James went next- and true to magical born students; they lifted off expertly. Charlotte grimaced to herself. They must have their own brooms at home- it was the only way she could explain their aptitude.

Madame Hooch turned an expectant look to Alice, Lily, and Charlotte. "You three. Your turn."

Charlotte mounted her broom and gave a kick off the ground. Her broom lifted very slowly into the air.

Rowle sniggered. "Too fat for that broom, Devlin?" Charlotte flushed red and was about to retort when James cut her off. "Says the guy that can't even pick up his broom." The Slytherin glared, but said nothing more as Madame Hooch passed in between the two.

She shot an appreciative glance at her friend. Her rise into the air was far less graceful than any of the other students. Lily looked absolutely green as she lifted into the air. Her knuckles were white with the grip she had on the handle. Alice's broom jerked around as she lifted up.

She gave a tiny shriek when her body slammed into Marlene's. Charlotte's hand shot out as she sought to steady her terrified friend. Marlene did the same and Alice made a dramatic gulp as her broom calmed down and she now hovered in the air. Her chest was heaving and sweat began to prickle across her forehead.

"Your turn, Snivellus." James and Black sneered. The pale boy glared at them angrily as his broom lifted in the air without much difficulty, he appeared unsteady, but it wasn't near as bad as Alice's incident.

Lily snarled at the duo, "Shut up."

Severus Snape was a Slytherin boy. Charlotte was unsure of his stance on blood purity, but if she were to lump all the purist fanatics together- they're all from Slytherin. She knew she shouldn't be so judgmental- but when her life was being threatened she found it better to stereotype people to protect herself.

However, Lily seemed to be quite fond of Snape. From what she understood, they grew up together, were childhood friends when Petunia (Lily's sister) distanced herself out of envy of Lily's magic. Perhaps he wasn't so bad, but Charlotte would remain wary.

Madame Hooch clapped her hands together. "Alright, now you will be flying around this area. No funny business, any of you. Don't stray from this area or it'll be automatic detentions for the lot of you."

Marlene was up in the area nearly as quickly as Sirius and James. Charlotte hung back to encourage Alice and Lily who were very unsteady. Severus appeared beside Lily and began murmuring to her. Charlotte cast a raised eyebrow glance at Alice; she was too busy focusing on how far they were from the ground to notice.

Charlotte felt incredibly uncomfortable in the presence of the Slytherin. She flew higher and higher, enjoying the exhilarating rush through her veins. Charlotte felt so free; she couldn't really justify it with words. She hovered far above the other students, smiling down at them zooming around.

How wonderful magic was. Marlene was assisting Alice, Sirius and James were doing what else- horsing around like a couple of boys would. Her eyes found Lily and Severus- who were now being harassed by the other three Slytherin boys.

Charlotte didn't miss the darkening expression on Lily's face. She directed her broom in their direction quickly, only to be too late as Rowle slammed into Lily's broom. The red-haired girl gave a yelp and was quickly plummeting to the ground. Charlotte dove, pleading to any God that was listening to save her friend. Just before she was to hit the ground, Charlotte saw a blur and suddenly Lily was safe in the arms of none other than James Potter.

Charlotte hopped off her broom and jogged to them. A messy, wild grin played across James' face as he carefully set the shaken girl on her feet. She fussed with herself and adjusted her robes nervously. Lily looked at James and murmured a soft thank you. He just smiled and nodded his head vigorously.

Lily approached Charlotte carefully. Her legs were trembling and Charlotte couldn't miss the thoughtful expression that had crossed James' face. Madame Hooch stormed over angrily. "What did I say?" Her voice was taut like a stretched bungie cord- waiting to snap any moment. The other students landed beside her, but recoiled quickly at her enraged expression.

Charlotte spoke quickly. "I saw everything, Madame Hooch. Snape was trying to help Lily, and then Rowle knocked her off the broom."

The faces of the students snapped in her direction. She felt the nagging feeling in her mind to just shut her stupid mouth, but she pursed her lips and looked down at the ground with clenched fists. She could see the dangerous scowls directed at her from the emerald colored robed students.

There was an incredibly tense silence. Madame Hooch started slowly. "Is this true?" Her gaze becoming more and more threatening- Sirius suddenly spoke out. "It's true. James and I were watching it all. I saw Devlin and him dive for Evans, but James got there first."

Madame Hooch rounded on the Slytherins. Her rage was palpable in the air surrounding the students. "50 points from Slytherin. Rowle, you're coming with me to the Head Master's office to explain yourself."

She grabbed the boy's arm and began dragging him off. She paused. "100 points to Gryffindor for your quick actions Potter, Devlin. This could have been a much different situation without your intervention. Class dismissed."

Marlene smiled kindly at Charlotte. "You play a dangerous game, you know."

Charlotte quirked a brow curiously, "Oh?"

"Yeah, being muggle-born and all, you sure aren't playing nice with the Slytherin's." Her laugh set the other girl slightly at ease; a small smile crossed her lips.

"Maybe, I don't want to play nice."

She heard a familiar scoff and rolled her eyes. "What, Black?" Her voice spat at him.

"It's pathetic how terribly difficult it is for you stand up for your friends. You're such a coward, and here you are pretending not to be."

Charlotte snarled angrily. "Oh, really? Because you know so much about me! I think it's incredibly pathetic that a purist fanatic is trying to play Gryffindor."

Sirius' face darkened considerably. His fists were clenched at his sides and she could say a reddening tint working it's way up his neck. He didn't say another word, but the glare that he sent her way set her teeth on edge. _Stupid arse._ She wouldn't feel bad about what she said. Never. _Liar._ Charlotte felt the tumultuous tug of regret deep in her gut. She pinched her lips together tightly. Marlene punched her shoulder with a knowing half smile.

* * *

><p>The end of year exams hadn't been as bad as Charlotte previously thought. She breezed through them with little difficulty- though potions and surprisingly charms had been a different story. She had been good at charms in the beginning, but now it just didn't come as easily to her as it had at first.<p>

Funny enough, Lily was now a literal genius at the subject. She had to help Charlotte almost every single class. She wasn't sure what had happened- but now she quite frankly sucked. It annoyed her to no end, but she found a new affinity with Defense Against the Dark Arts. Where she lacked everywhere else she made up for in that class alone.

Charlotte couldn't wait to start learning to use the defense's they were taught next year. The Professor had mentioned dueling classes and that excited her to no end. She would be lying if she said she hadn't been fantasizing wiping that stupid smirk of that git's face, that git being none other than Sirius Black.

It _infuriated_ her how he could possibly believe he was God's gift to humanity. Or Merlin's gift. In the wizarding world, instead of saying 'God' they subbed in Merlin. He was a famous wizard back in the times of the founding fathers. Merlin, funny enough, had been a Slytherin. He was considered one of the most powerful wizards of all time and found himself in King Arthur's court.

Merlin believed wizards should assist muggle's to live peacefully alongside the magical world. He founded the Order of Merlin- an organization purely for muggle rights and created rules against using magic on them. Charlotte found it incredibly amusing that Slytherin's like to boast about Merlin having been apart of their house at one point- it's obvious they don't read very often or they would know he had been a firm supporter of muggle's- a complete opposite of what Slytherin's were today.

She should really get on board with the wizarding world's vernacular, though. Lily had already gotten the hang of it and she sounded just like any other witch or wizard and well, Charlotte herself still sounded like some poor muggle struggling to keep up with the times.

There was a defiant part of her that wanted to hang on to her muggle side, though. Purist fanatics were so hell-bent on purging the wizarding world of their supposed 'filth', it only made sense that Charlotte hung on to that part of her. She wouldn't be purged, she wouldn't allow herself to be and she would love nothing more than rubbing it in their stupid faces. Charlotte couldn't help but smile to herself thoughtfully.

She truly liked the thought of that and that was the decision she was going to make. She wouldn't be forced to be ashamed of her heritage. Charlotte was born this way and she couldn't have been more grateful of the parents she had and the history she owned in her bloodlines.

Charlotte was jerked from her reverie when Marlene shook her shoulder. "Have you been listening to me at all?" Charlotte smiled guiltily. "Sorry, I drifted off."

Marlene scoffed prettily. "Come on, we'll be late to our Quidditch finals."

_Oh, dear. Quidditch finals._ Charlotte sighed vehemently to herself. She followed her friend out to the Quidditch pitch. It wasn't really a final at all; it was just a game between their classmates. All it really was going to prove was who would be part of the Quidditch team next year. Charlotte felt a nervous tug in her chest.

She would love nothing more than to prove herself on the field, but she couldn't help but feel overshadowed by Marlene, James, and Sirius. They were all so _good_ already. She felt slightly encouraged by the fact that Remus and Peter were in the same boat as she- but she doubted either of them wanted to play as badly as she did.

It wasn't long until they were finally in the air. James was assigned the keeper position. Sirius was a beater alongside Marlene. Remus would be the seeker, and then it was just herself, Lily, Alice, and Peter playing the chasers. On the other team- Rowle was playing keeper, Mulciber and Avery were beaters, Gemma Stone was the seeker, and Janice Gordon, Francesca Burke, Hestia Yarrow, and Snape were chasers.

When Madame Hooch blew her whistle loudly- the tumultuous nervousness had reached its peak in Charlotte's gut. The first-years were taking this game _very_ seriously. Lily didn't like flying, but she hated losing even worse and so was playing incredibly aggressively across the field. Charlotte dove into the mix to snatch the quaffle from passing hands to Burke.

Charlotte felt the adrenaline rush prickling inside of her mind as she whipped in and out of grabbing hands. She tossed the quaffle to Peter just as she was slammed _hard _by Yarrow. Charlotte snarled in annoyance. She heard a familiar yelp as Peter was knocked from his broom by a bludger.

He bounced on the ground in a pathetic heap and Charlotte hit the ground running to his position. The poor boy was in near tears as he clutched his mangled wrist. She stooped into a crouch beside him, her eyes wide with sympathy. She knew the pain of a broken wrist, and it was no fun at all. "It's going to be okay, Peter."

She patted his shoulder reassuringly. He nodded his head with a shuddering gulp. Madame Pomfrey ran out on the field. Charlotte faintly heard the shrill whistle. The other players grounded themselves quickly. Hooch approached them with a grim look on her face.

"Snape- I want you to accompany Madame Pomfrey to the infirmary with Pettigrew."

At least Madame Hooch had made the game more fair by taking a player from the other team. The Slytherin's scowled as the game began again. The Gryffindor's were gaining a monster lead in points- Lily and Alice were surprisingly very good at making goals and avoiding confrontation from the other chasers.

Suddenly, Charlotte found herself with the quaffle. She was desperately dodging the other players and the bludgers sent her way. Remus and Stone blew past her in pursuit of the snitch. If they got ahead by 10 more points, they would win regardless of whomever caught the snitch.

Her brow furrowed in concentration. She narrowly dodged a bludger that whizzed past her skull. Her breath dropping momentarily at how close it had been to completely taking her head off. Everyone was shouting all around her encouraging her, and she felt a beam of pride beginning to crack through her chest- her heart was pounding in her ears and she felt absolutely exhilarated.

Charlotte ducked and wove in between several Slytherin chasers and as she approached the goal post, she heaved all her strength in her body and rocketed it through. She gave a whoop of joy as the game-ending whistle sounded. Suddenly, her heart stopped. James was staring helplessly at the goal- he tried desperately to stop it from happening, but he couldn't get there in time.

She had just thrown through the wrong goal. She just gave points to the Slytherins. They weren't cheering her on; they were trying to tell her to turn around. Charlotte could scarcely breathe with the weight and utter humiliation of what she had done. She prayed and pleaded frantically that Remus had gotten the snitch.

Madame Hooch shouted, "Slytherin wins!"

_No. No. Noo._ Her voice whined in her head as she dropped to the ground. Charlotte wanted to run away, far, far away and never come back. She bolstered whatever shred of dignity she had left and forced her legs to move towards the other Gryffindor's. She hung her head in defeat, refusing to meet their eyes.

Sirius' snide voice cut through her shroud of embarrassment. "Wow, nice going, Devlin."

James shoved him lightly. "Oh shut it, Sirius. Everyone makes mistakes."

"At least you have a hell of an arm, Char. I mean I couldn't even block that missile." He tried encouraging her weakly.

Charlotte groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I am _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Marlene started jokingly. "I would sure hope you didn't mean to." Lily wrapped at arm around her and gave her a sweet smile, "It's okay, and it's just a game."

Charlotte faintly heard Sirius snort. Remus gave her a cross between a grimace and a smile. "Too bad, I didn't catch that snitch, eh?"

The young distraught girl gave a slight hiccup of a laugh. He smiled encouragingly when Madame Hooch had made her way over. "It's about time you all to head up to your dorms and get packing."

As the group began to disperse- Hooch called back. "McKinnon. Great game, you'd be good on the team next year." Marlene beamed happily. "Thank you, Madame Hooch!"

Charlotte fidgeted nervously; she stayed slightly behind and mumbled quietly. "Madame Hooch, do you think- do you think if I practiced I would be able to make the team next year?"

The older woman quirked an eyebrow and gave her a sympathetic smile. "I think it'd be better if you just supported your friends from the stands, Devlin. I hope you understand."

Charlotte felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. She nodded her head numbly and put on a brave smile. "Yes, Madame Hooch. Hope you have a nice summer."

The woman smiled in return as the young girl started back towards the dorms. Charlotte felt hot tears bubbling under her lids in humiliation and defeat- she felt the tears escape her lids, as she once again, just wasn't good enough.

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><p><strong>Thank you to all those that faved and followed! The amount of attention suddenly shown prompted me to throw another chapter y'alls way :) Hope y'all enjoy!<strong>

**Thank you for reading! **

**-Blitz**


	4. Firebolt

**Firewall**

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all- except for little Char.

Chapter 4: Firebolt

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><p><strong>Year: 1976<strong>

5th year had come and gone. They were just beginning their end of year exams. She and Lily had prepared for their OWL's as best they could. Charlotte had no doubt in her mind Lily would score at least an Outstanding in most subjects with maybe an "E" in Divination. The young girl expected nothing less from her red-haired friend. Lily was all about perfection.

Herself, however- was difficult to say. She had grown a lot in the years since she first step foot in the castle and had fought with the two budding death eaters, known as Lucius Malfoy and Evan Rosier. They had been quite a bit older, and she never could figure how a couple of kids had managed to best them.

Last she had heard was that Malfoy had married Narcissa Black, who was a year under him as soon as they were both graduated. Rosier and Malfoy of course joined the growing herd of idiots following that monstrosity of man, Voldemort.

Although, Malfoy and his special group of gits had graduated early on in her years at Hogwarts she still had her own group of enemies. Mostly Avery and Mulciber- those two made ice run through her veins. They weren't especially intelligent, just plain cruel. Since Lily and Snape had their falling out earlier that year, he seemed to lump himself permanently with those two arseholes.

Around six months prior- Lily had once again been defending Snape against James and Black, when Snape suddenly lashed out at her. Crazy! Yes, it didn't make sense, but the stupid git had called her a mudblood and that was the end of their friendship. The greasy haired creep might as well have knotted his own noose. Of course, Lily cried for days. She and Snape had been very good friends and from what Charlotte could tell he had been very kind to her up until that moment.

She wasn't in a place to judge due to never having many friends in her short life. He just gave her gut the wrong feeling, so she steered clear of him naturally, nothing against him; except that he _could_ wash his hair, if he wanted to. He really should actually.

Which brought her to another point. She couldn't fathom _why_ Lily had been so upset by being called a mudblood. It was just a word; it didn't really mean anything except what they made of it. If Slytherins wanted it to be a derogatory- that's cool and all, except it never would have become a derogatory term if the victims hadn't let it.

Like her Dad used to say- insults only carried meaning when you reacted to them. He had told her that when she was very young and had been bullied left and right.

Charlotte crossed her arms over her books and continued her trek to the great hall for dinner. Tomorrow would be the last day of exams, and they had a few days before the end of the year. She looked forward to returning home to her parents- not that school wasn't great; it absolutely was and a dream come true.

She just missed her parents. The young girl smiled softly to herself as she thought of them. Her dad tall and handsome with his peppered dark hair, and her beautiful mother with her glimmering blonde hair and striking golden eyes; her dad always said Charlotte had gotten her mother's eyes and her dad's personality.

Charlotte somewhat doubted that. Her dad was so bold and brave-had he been magical, the young girl imagined the hat never would have touched his head before shouting Gryffindor. He embodied the core values of the house and according to her mother; in his younger days he had been quite the troublemaker. James reminded her of her father in that way.

Charlotte grinned at the thought of James. He had been so sweet to her when she first met him, and he still was. Though, _very_ immature in his own right, he meant well. In their first year, James had saved her best friend Lily from a very gruesome fall during their first Quidditch class. Ever since that moment James had pined after the red-haired beauty, harassing the hell out of her honestly.

Those weren't his best moments. He sounded ridiculously arrogant and was quite annoying during those times. Charlotte, quite frankly couldn't blame Lily in her distaste for him. Lily didn't hate James, she knew he could be charming and kind, but she wouldn't ever accept a date with him until he had matured.

Charlotte snorted to herself. _Matured_, right.

Their merry band also included Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus was a sweet heart and attractive with his mousy brown hair and kind eyes. His face was littered with scars and he was always sickly pale. Charlotte was unsure what sickness afflicted him, but it couldn't have been good- he missed a lot of school and was in the infirmary more times than not.

She went out of her way to be sure to visit him as often as she could when he was, and _always_ brought chocolate. It warmed her heart when his eyes would light up at the sight of the candy- if Charlotte ever had a brother she would have wanted him as that hypothetical sibling.

Peter Pettigrew was a nice boy. He reminded Charlotte a lot of herself with his timidity and shyness. He had a round face with large front teeth and was a bit thicker than the rest of the group. Peter wasn't very good at school, save for a few subjects. He excelled at muggle studies, magical creatures, and the history classes- but struggled everywhere else. He had his moments of clever insight- Peter saw things the others didn't and he was quite good at being a prankster- he was a very tricky boy.

Charlotte was grateful for his friendship and grateful he was on their side- the others underestimated him, but she knew he would be an invaluable addition against Death Eater forces once they graduated.

And then there was Sirius Black. He was a special kind of douchebag in the form of a womanizing whore. He never missed an opportunity to harass Charlotte and tease her. He was incredibly intelligent and incredibly attractive- which made him all the more annoying. Sirius had jaw-length black hair and eyes the color of steel. He was the picture of what royalty should look like- and in the wizarding world his bloodlines were basically royalty.

Lucky for them he was also on their side because he was an amazing dueler. Charlotte had distrusted him for the better part of their younger years. She had grown to trust him eventually- though he still was an arrogant berk. She didn't have to like him. Which she wouldn't, not ever. Sirius could be so cruel at times; she secretly thought it was just the way he had been raised. As much as he denounced his family, a little part of them would always make little appearances here and there.

Of course, Charlotte would never tell him that. He would hex her into oblivion and she wouldn't even be able to blame him. Back to the womanizing whore part- he liked women, _a lot._ And they liked him too, also a lot. So much it was disturbing. Everywhere he went with that stupid easy grin on his stupid handsome face, girls would swoon and latch onto him like flies on honey- actually trash. Flies on trash, because Sirius Black was trash.

That was a little mean. It irritated her to no end to watch him jump from girl to girl, breaking hearts left and right and never staying for more than a couple months. She didn't even want to think of how many of those women he had bedded. And even more infuriating was how his reputation had made him so popular! Girls still threw themselves at him and guys would high-five him and make him out be some sort of stupid God.

Seriously, if she ever ran around with that many men- Charlotte would automatically be a whore and her reputation would be terrible. Double standards, much? Not that she could or would run around with many guys- she was far too quiet, and plain. She wasn't _un_attractive, but she certainly wasn't a natural beauty like Lily, or Marlene.

Charlotte had dated Bertram Aubrey back in fourth year and the beginning of this year. He was an attractive boy in their year in Ravenclaw. She had liked him very much until she caught him with one of Sirius' former floozies. Charlotte had cried her eyes out until James found out. He along with Sirius had used an illegal hex on Bertram and engorged his skull to twice its size.

They both received double detentions and got into quite the bit of trouble. Charlotte very much enjoyed watching Bertram struggle with his oversized head on a regular sized neck. She would remain forever thankful to James for his protection of her, even if he were at times a bit overprotective. Charlotte hadn't dated since the incident, despite it being a little over six months ago.

Mostly for the lack of offers and that she didn't really care to enter a new relationship at this point. All Charlotte wanted to do was go home to her parents and enjoy her solitude.

Charlotte entered the great hall. She inhaled the delicious scents that wafted through the air and made her way over to the Gryffindor table. The hall exuded warmth and comfort, similar to the Gryffindor common room. It was illuminated with floating candles and the ghosts drifted around idly, the roof glittered with millions of stars on a clear night sky.

It was an enchantment of sorts, not the actual sky. Charlotte slid into a seat beside Lily. Her red-haired friend looked up and beamed. "Hey, Char! How did your potions exam go?"

Charlotte shrugged as she filled up her plate, "I think it went okay. The draught of living death was really pissing me off though."

Lily nodded her head. "It is a difficult potion."

Charlotte laughed as she stuffed potatoes in her mouth. "Not for you- I bet you could brew it faster than ole Sluggy."

Her red-haired friend's face colored with a slight blush. "Oh, I don't know about that." She smiled with a bit of pride at the compliment.

James leaned over the table. "I know you could. I was watching you make it, you're so brilliant Lilykins!"

Lily grimaced at the nickname as Charlotte burst into laughter at the dancing grin on James' face. "You're such a creep, James."

He glared at her, "Am not!"

"Are too!" Charlotte threw a roll and it smacked his forehead.

"Children, lets keep our food to ourselves, please." Remus' good-natured voice cut in. He picked up the roll Charlotte had thrown and began smearing it with marmalade. She stuck out her tongue at him, which he returned with an amused grin.

"How were your exams so far, Remus?" She asked as she grabbed another roll.

He nodded his head, "Good, very good. I'm feeling pretty confident about Transfiguration and Defense."

Charlotte's eyes lit up. "Defense was a fun exam. I really hope next year we can start trying to cast our own Patronus'!"

James grinned. "I really hope so too. What form did your Boggart take?"

Charlotte grimaced. "A spider."

Lily started laughing. "A spider?" She asked incredulously. The young girl blushed as she stuffed the roll into her mouth. "At least mine wasn't Slughorn telling me I had failed."

Lily stuck out her tongue in response. Peter began laughing, "Really? That's your worst fear? I feel like your priorities are slightly out of order."

The group burst into laughter at Lily's reddening face. She snapped in irritation. "Okay, Peter, what was yours then?"

He paled. "A banshee." Charlotte winced. "That is terrifying. I've heard their screams are fatal."

Remus nodded his head. "They are."

Peter grumbled. James began laughing uproariously. "Poor ole Worm here was knocked out by his Boggart's scream." Peter shot an annoyed glare at James, and Lily's eyes softened considerably. "Oh, Pete, I'm sorry."

James' amusement was halted suddenly by the death glare Lily shot him. He coughed slightly before returning to his food with a slight blush rising up his neck. Suddenly, Sirius sat down with a huff. His cheek was welted with an obvious handprint.

Remus' eyebrows raised as he shot a warning glance at Charlotte, whose lips had twisted into a smirk. "Oh. Poor ickle Sirius got dumped." He glared at her and muttered under his breath as he piled food onto his plate. "Shut-up, Devlin."

"What was it this time- caught snogging a different bird? Couldn't get it up?"

Lily elbowed her hard. "Charlotte!" She admonished. The girl looked at her in surprise at the use of her full name, "What?"

Sirius smirked in response. "Better play nice, Devlin."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and mock-gasped. "Me, play nice? Never."

James interrupted his two bickering friends. "Seriously, what happened, Pads? I thought you and what's-her-name were getting alone nicely?"

"Danielle. And we were- I just thought I would get along better with Dorcas."

Charlotte scrunched her face in disapproval. "You're disgusting."

Sirius winked. "Don't worry, Devlin. There's room in our duo for you- I'm sure, Dorcas wouldn't mind. I certainly wouldn't."

Charlotte gagged. "God. Don't. I much rather keep my dinner down, thank you."

Sirius went to make a snide reply when Alice fell into her chair beside Charlotte. "Frank and I are officially dating!"

James' face wrinkled in thought. "Frank Longbottom in Hufflepuff?"

"The very same!" Her face was glowing with utter happiness.

Charlotte smiled genuinely as Lily gave a girly screech. "Oh! I am so happy for you! You guys are so cute together!"

Marlene huffed. "Oi! My ears don't appreciate that." Lily rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Marls."

Marlene leaned over Alice. "Charley. You, me, the Quidditch pitch- you game?"

Charlotte beamed. "Sure! Be right there, Marley!" She ruffled the girl's hair playfully. Marlene scowled. "You're despicable. Don't be late." She called over her shoulder as she ran her fingers through her tousled hair.

Marlene and Charlotte had become fast friends in their year both favoring things less girly and frilly- they preferred intense dueling matches and aggressive games of Quidditch. Around second year, Charlotte began referring to Marlene as Marley affectionately and Marlene returned that with her nickname as Charley.

Marlene was an exceptionally talented witch. She excelled at dueling and transfiguration- also Quidditch. Always Quidditch. Marlene aspired to be a professional player someday, and Charlotte didn't doubt she could do it. She had to be the best beater Hogwarts had seen in decades.

Charlotte stepped out onto the pitch dressed in jeans and a hoodie. Marlene floated above her already smacking a bludger around. She raced around on her Nimbus 1001- the latest edition of the Nimbus Company. It was wicked fast and agile. Charlotte herself owned a simple Cleansweep 5.

It wasn't nearly as fast as the Nimbus, but it made for easy handling. Charlotte quickly mounted and took off and ducked the bludgers attempt for her head. Marlene laughed, "Nice dodge, Charley!" She tossed an extra bat to Charlotte, "Here- so you don't get your head taken off. I imagine McGonagall wouldn't be too pleased with me."

Charlotte laughed as she smacked the bludger towards Marlene. "Forget McGonagall- I'd come back and haunt you. Hey- do you think the Headless Hunt would accept me for their games?"

Marlene's laugh echoed in the pitch- she dodged the bludger and smacked it effortlessly as it passed behind her. "Trick shot! 10 points to yours truly!" She shouted happily.

Charlotte flipped her broom down and whacked the bludger upside down. "20 points to me!" Marlene snorted. "That's just lame, Charley. You look ridiculous."

She gasped in mock indignation. "Me? Ridiculous? _Never._"

"Hey, do you know Rudolph Spudmore?"

Charlotte wrinkled her face in thought as she wacked the bludger. "The Ravenclaw? What about him?"

The other girl shrugged. "Just think he's kinda cute."

It was Charlotte's turn to snort. "You just like the size of his broom." She had a wicked smirk on her face as Marlene gave a jovial laugh in return.

"That was real cute, Charley. I bet he does have a nice broom though."

Char snickered. "I hear he's bloody rich- his family owns the Black Forest Broom Company. You should ask him to make a broom just for you."

The other girl grinned in return. "Hah! I should. What a great idea, I'll just seduce him first; he'll fall madly in love with me- because of course. Look at me; then he'll make the fastest broom ever and name it something awesome."

Charlotte snorted at her friend's lack of humility. "Sounds like a plan. What should he name it?"

Marlene whacked the bludger distractedly as she thought. "Something fast- like lightning bolt!"

"Nah, that's dumb."

She huffed. "Okay, Miss-know-it-all. What's your suggestion?"

Charlotte tapped her chin in thought, "Something with fire! Nothing is faster than a wild fire! Ooh! Wild Fire would be wicked cool."

The blonde laughed. "That sounds like something a child would name their pony." She paused before her face brightened. "I know! Firebolt!"

Charlotte nodded her head vigorously. "That is _way_ better than Wild Fire!"

Marlene snickered. "That's because I came up with it."

"Don't be an arrogant toe-rag, Marley. Else you might start to have untamable hair and suddenly need glasses and pining for a certain red head."

The girl opposite her snorted loudly, "Sounds like someone we know. We should start heading back to the castle it's starting to get late."

Charlotte agreed, not wanting to admit that her arms were nearly dead from exertion. The two wrestled the bludger back into its box. It strained against the straps holding it down while they returned it to the Quidditch shed before re-entering the castle.

Charlotte stopped short. "Oh! I forgot my potions book in Sluggy's classroom; I'm going to run and grab it. You go on and I'll meet you in the common room."

Marlene slowed and frowned. "Okay, just be careful. Lily and I will get a head start on studying for our Charms exam."

The two friends separated. Charlotte was cautious as she entered the dungeons part of the castle. She felt the air drop a few degrees and a shiver ran up her spine. She entered the classroom and found her book right where she had left it. The creepy factor had upped as she returned to the corridor.

Charlotte could have sworn she heard voices. Her eyes scanned the darkness surrounding her; her gut was twisting nervously as she called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

There wasn't a response. She began walking quickly towards the exit. Charlotte had had enough of the dungeons; she just wanted to leave as soon as possible before some nasty Slytherin came along. As she neared the exit to the upper level a cold, hair-rising voice murmured in her ear. "In a rush, are we?"

Charlotte hadn't had the time to turn to identify the speaker before she blacked out.

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><p><strong>Sorry, not sorry for the cliff-hanger ;) <strong>

**If anyone finds any discrepancies feel free to point them out to me so that I can fix it.**

**I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far! Thank you _so_ much for all the follows, faves, and reviews! Next chapter will be here shortly.**

**-wBlitz**


	5. Fresh Beginnings

**Firewall**

Disclaimer: JKR owns all.

Chapter 5: Fresh Beginnings

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><p>Marlene paced the common room restlessly. It had been an hour. Charley just wanted to grab a book; it would never have taken this long. She was in a fit of not knowing what to do- she couldn't very well go roaming the castle after hours in search of her friend. It didn't make sense- Charlotte would never just disappear like this, especially when there was studying to be done.<p>

She was one of those friends that you could rely on, _always._ Charley wouldn't ditch them. Something must have happened to her. Marlene grimaced to herself- she really hoped that for once Charlotte just ended up ditching them; then she could yell at her for worrying her and everything would be okay.

The blonde's gut wrenched. There was _no_ way that was what happened. Marlene ran up the stairs to their dorm. "Oi! Lily! Charley still hasn't come back, I'm going to get McGonagall." Lily leaned out of the bathroom- a toothbrush hung from her mouth and her eyes were wide with worry. She spat the remnants of the paste. "I'll come with you."

The two girls made for the exit quickly. It swung open and before them were the group of boys that called themselves the 'Marauders'. James looked up in surprise. "Lilykins! You're up late." A sudden grin twisted his handsome features. "Don't tell me that we're starting to rub off on you?"

The redhead snapped angrily. "No, Potter. Charlotte hasn't come back from the dungeons- we're going to get McGonagall."

Remus stepped closer, "What was she doing in the dungeons?"

Marlene stamped her foot impatiently. "She forgot her book, now move- we don't have time for this!"

Peter nudged Sirius; his eyes were wide as he glanced at the parchment clutched between his hands. The taller boy grumbled under his breath. "Look, we can find her with this. But not a word from either of you." He gestured towards the girls warningly.

Lily overcome with curiosity stepped forward as Sirius tapped the parchment and ink began to materialize across it. Marlene gave a small half-smile. "Well, I guess we know how you lot are able to avoid getting caught so often."

Lily murmured under her breath. "This is amazing." His fingers brushed the corner of its edge. James' face was contorted into something akin to fear as the four boys scanned the page in search of their friend. Peter pointed towards a classroom in the dungeons. "There!"

Sirius' face darkened a low growl emanated from his chest. "Avery and Mulciber are with her. Care to guess what they're up to?"

James' voice dropped lowly. "Lily, Marls- get Professor McGonagall. We're going to get Charlotte." The girls didn't bother to argue and took off towards the Professor's quarters immediately. James and Remus led the four of them as they thundered towards the dungeons.

An ear-shattering scream pierced the silence. Sirius' face paled as he sprinted towards the source of noise. He approached the closed door and wasted no time in plowing through the old wood. He hit the ground painfully and rolled to his feet.

The sight that lay in front stilled him. Charlotte was strung to a chair- her face was white as a sheet and her long brown hair hung in strands around her face. She was sweating and crying profusely. He could see blood dripping down her body as she shuddered with the aftershocks of torture.

Avery and Mulciber whipped around at the shattering door. They were faced with the four boys with indescribable looks of rage. James bellowed angrily, "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!"

The two Slytherin's smirked. "Or what- you going to torture us? You best leave the mudblood- I can't imagine there's much left of her in there anymore." Mulciber's face twisted into a sinister smile. Sirius snarled angrily and let a curse fly. The room was suddenly an explosion of colors from the curses and hexes being thrown.

Remus threw up a shield to deflect any sent their way. James shot him an appreciative look as a particularly nasty curse dissolved in the shield. Sirius advanced past the shield. He duck and wove in between the tables. Ropes extended from his wand and wrapped around Avery. Mulciber screamed an unintelligible curse.

Sirius stumbled backwards grasping his shoulder as blood began to blossom across his chest. Tiny cuts were slitting their way over the expanse of his skin. The pain fueled his rage. He stormed forward whilst Peter and James freed Charlotte from her restraints. She stumbled to her feet; her eyes were dull- the whites were concealed with streaks of red.

Mulciber backed away in fear of Sirius' wrath. Charlotte jerked away from James and Peter and grabbed the Slytherin's coat collar; she wrenched him backwards and landed a solid punch to his face. Her lips were curled and her fists were clenched tightly as Mulciber's back was slammed against the wall. He covered his face howling in pain while blood gushed from his nose. Remus pulled on Sirius' shoulder to prevent him from assaulting the fallen boy. Ropes leapt from his wand and wound tightly around the boy. Charlotte swayed on her feet.

Sirius reached her in time to prevent her from collapsing to the floor. Her head lolled back and Sirius withdrew one hand to find it drenched in her blood. Her eyes were closed and her brow was pinched in a fitful state. James shook her gently, "Char!"

"We need to get her to the hospital wing _now_." Sirius growled lowly. He scooped her into his trembling arms. They were never friends, but Charlotte had been nothing but kind to anyone she had ever met. He knew her to be a loyal friend and a fierce friend when she needed to be.

She was shy and quiet at times; he had seen her blush repeatedly over the years. Charlotte was clumsy and silly- Charlotte didn't deserve to be tortured like this. Her skin had begun to split under the pressure and when the cruciatus curse had reached such a point- it was very unlikely the brain would survive. Tiny, harmless, sweet, Charlotte.

They had never been friends- but it hurt him deep inside to see her as broken and battered as she was- all because of her muggle blood. They made it to the hospital wing in record time. McGonagall had contacted St. Mungo's and Charlotte was promptly taken from his arms and sent away. The last thing he saw was her on a floating stretcher disappearing from sight.

He rubbed his nose roughly- he couldn't get that metallic smell of her blood away. He smelt it everywhere; it was then he realized his hands were covered in her blood. She had lost so much. Sirius faintly heard Peter regaling the tale of what had just occurred.

Madame Pomfrey whisked him away to a bed. She began tending to his wounds that had grown numb. James looked as if he had seen a ghost- his eyes were tired and haunted. Remus sat in a chair beside him. A grimace twisted his scarred face as his eyes took in the sight of Sirius' shredded chest.

James muttered as his head rested on his hand wearily. "I guess the war has reached Hogwarts, huh?"

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><p>Charlotte had woken days later during the summer vacation. She spent a few more days within St. Mungo's so that the doctors and nurses could watch her for any odd behavior. They said she had been lucky- lucky to have kept her mind. Dr. Barrows kept telling her he had never seen a torture patient come in looking as bad a she did and be able to leave with their mind intact.<p>

He told her that once the curse started splitting skin was when brains began to fail or split apart in an attempt to escape the pain it was being subjected to. It was a whole lot of mumbo jumbo medical talk about how the brain is what lets you know you are in pain and when that much harm is being caused so continuously the brain does what it can to stop it.

_Lucky._ She was lucky. Charlotte couldn't help but feel bitter. She stepped inside her own home and didn't quite feel at home. The shadows made her jump and noises would send her careening into walls in bouts of panic and fear. The doctors also said this would be normal- but she sure as hell didn't feel normal.

Charlotte felt like a stranger in her own skin. She didn't want to talk, or eat, or drink- sleep would bring nightmares that left her screeching in memories of the pain she had endured. Her parents were desperate for their daughter and did everything they could to pull her from the shell her mind had constructed.

She was resistant to their attempts.

It was one morning nearly a week after her release, Charlotte had abandoned all hopes for sleep. She opened her bedroom door only to be halted by the sobs of her mother. Her brow creased in worry as she listened silently.

"Our daughter was tortured, Henry! _Tortured_! She is in a world that is at war!"

"I know, Angie. I know."

"What do we do? We can't possibly let her return there? It would be wrong and irresponsible!"

Charlotte slid down the wall. Her mind blanched at the thought of never returning to Hogwarts. It was her life, her world- she needed to be there. She had her friends and her classes- her thoughts were cut off as her father spoke more sternly.

"Angie. We can't just take her out of school. I'm sure Albus will have this sorted out. That school is the safest place she could possibly be."

"Charlotte won't talk, won't eat, she screams if she falls asleep! Henry! I can't let her keep going on like this, it will kill her!"

It was silent for a moment as Charlotte's mother continued to sob. She could imagine her father was sitting beside her and rubbing her back soothingly. Her father's voice rung out again, "Then we'll have to try harder. Our daughter will be in a world that is at war, so we should give her the tools she needs in order to defend herself."

Angie sniffled quietly. "We don't know magic, we couldn't teach her anything to be of use."

Charlotte could almost hear the smile in her father's voice. "Ah, you see- that's where she'll get them. I've heard enough from Charlotte's teachers to know that she is very talented in defensive magic. What she needs to know now, is how to defend herself like a good old fashioned muggle."

Charlotte's brow furrowed. Her father was right. If Avery and Mulciber had attempted to take her with magic- she might have stood a chance. However, they had grabbed her and she hadn't had the strength necessary to fight them off.

Henry spoke once more. "I think this might be good for her. She's probably suffering from the nightmares and the PTSD because she wasn't able to fight them. This will help strengthen her and she wouldn't have to have nightmares anymore, she would possess all the necessary tools to protect herself so she won't have to be afraid."

Charlotte stood up quickly and ran down the stairs. Her parents jumped in shock as they turned to their daughter who began to show more enthusiasm in that moment than she had the past week. She nodded her head. "Dad, Mom. I want to learn. I want to be better."

Henry smiled fondly at his daughter. "That's my girl."

Angie was shaking her head vigorously. "I don't want you to get hurt. I can't bear the thought of it." Charlotte swallowed the lump in her throat and sat beside her mother. Tears rolled down her mother's aging face as she gripped Charlotte in a strong embrace.

Charlotte returned the hug with as much force. She spoke softly. "I want to protect myself, Mom. I want to help others too. I don't want anyone to ever experience what I had to. I want to learn, let me, Mom. I'll be okay."

Angie chuckled softly as she kissed Charlotte's forehead. "My brave, brave, little girl." She pushed the hair from her eyes and stared into them with a sort of ferocity. "Then learn. Let your father enroll you in self-defense classes. No one is ever going to hurt you again."

Charlotte felt her lips twist into a smile as a bright beam shattered the walls she had constructed. She felt hope seep into her body and she began to feel more at ease than she had that entire week. Charlotte would be strong. She would be able to defend herself and others.

It was that single thought that helped her free herself from the demons that lurked within her mind. She was finally _free._

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><p>Over the course of summer, Charlotte decided she wanted to be an auror. There wasn't any other job that had peaked her interest. Her encounter with Avery and Mulciber and brought her down to earth from the invincible thought-process she held before. The war was real, and it was harming and killing people beyond all measure.<p>

If she could be apart of a task force that brought evil down- then when her death inevitably came she could die well knowing she had done all she could to bring peace to the wizarding world. It was a morbid thought- but what frightened her more than anything was that she could have died that night in the dungeons and she had done absolutely _nothing._

She would fade away with time and become nothing more than the girl who lost her damned mind to a couple psychopaths. Charlotte didn't want that. She didn't want to drift away with time but be someone that had been a force of good in this God forsaken war.

Charlotte supposed she could thank Avery and Mulciber for her life-changing revelation they so proudly distributed her. _Not._ There was a darker part in her mind that whispered sweet tales of revenge to her. She slammed the door on it as often as she could. Her temper was unstable as it was and she had no doubt in her mind that seeing their very faces at that moment would send her into an unstoppable tirade of vengeful wrath.

She would _love_ to see them die- and that frightened her. Charlotte had never thought of death as carelessly as before. She figured with her near-death incident it should be normal. It didn't feel normal though- it was strange and even more strangely- it was _welcomed_.

Charlotte never voiced these thoughts. She felt that in time they would fade away and Avery and Mulciber would just be two enemies that needed to be brought to justice. She hardly believed the ministry would approve of any vigilante justice she dearly wanted to deal out. So, her vengeance would stay a fantasy and that would be that and nothing more.

Summer was coming to an end and Charlotte had never felt better. She felt rejuvenated and more alive than before. Her dad had taken her to countless different self-defense classes and she had learned a lot. Her instructors were pleased with her progression. She ran more times than not and weight trained to make herself stronger.

Charlotte wanted to be better than before and so she was. Her body was taught with lean muscle and amazingly she wasn't as clumsy as she had been before. Her balance had improved and her confidence spurred her through situations she would have awkwardly shut down prior to the summer time. She felt ready to return to Hogwarts feeling as bright and shiny as a brand new copper penny.

The next day would entail a trip to Diagon Alley for her supplies for the 6th year. She took a seat at her desk and paused over the several sheets of parchment. She really should have done this sooner, but it was better late than never. Charlotte set to work as she penned thank you letters to her friends. She poured out all the overwhelming gratitude in her heart that she felt.

It was without a doubt they had saved her life. Her last letter would be the hardest as it was to a boy she had never considered a friend.

_Dear Sirius,_

_I should have written this letter far sooner- probably when I had regained consciousness. I had not been in my right mind for quite sometime, so I am sorry that this is late. I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my life. It is without a doubt that had the Marauders not arrived to save the day in such a timely manner, I would not be here this moment. _

_You have given me a second chance at life and I will be forever grateful. I was hoping with the incident that you and I might be able to put away our differences and become friends. Especially, because I could never be mean to you from now on- maybe a prank here and there. You hair isn't safe; so don't think it is- I will still get you back for fourth year when you charmed my hair that horrid plum color. _

_Sincerely,_

_Charlotte_

She felt confident that her letter was well written and thought out. She attached the bulk of the letters to Phoenix's leg and pet him softly. She cooed her adorations as he leaned into her touch. Charlotte threw open the shutters of her windows and her wonderful owl took flight. She watched him disappear into the clouds with a satisfied smile.

School would begin soon and it would an all-new start for Charlotte Devlin.

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><p><strong>Thank you so much to everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed! I greatly appreciate it!<strong>

**-w Blitz**


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